Heretofore, conductive fabrics useful for, as an example, dissipation of static electricity, have incorporated monofilaments with high loadings of conductive materials, such as carbon black or metallic particulate. Typically, these conductive materials are either dispersed within a base polymer, such as polyethylene terephthalate and polyamide, or incorporated in polymeric coatings which are deposited over oriented monofilaments.
There are several limitations associated with these prior art methods. First, the conductivity of the loaded monofilaments is only in the range of 10−4-10−7 S/cm, which is the bare minimum needed for effective dissipation of static charge. Unfortunately, this drawback limits the fabric design options, and also impairs fabric performance. A second disadvantage is that, in the case of fully filled products, there is a compromise of monofilament physical properties, such as modulus, tenacity and elongation. This is due to the high level of contamination caused by compounding levels greater than twenty percent of the conductive filler. This loss of physical properties, again, restricts the options for fabric design and negatively impacts fabric performance.
Other prior art conductive fabrics incorporate conductive coatings, metallic wire constructions, or combination designs incorporating metal fibers within a synthetic structure. There are, however, drawbacks also associated with these fabrics. For example, while these prior designs may dissipate static charge, it is noted that structures with metallic wires are difficult to manufacture. A further disadvantage is that metal-based fabrics are easily damaged, and in particular, incur unwanted dents and creases during use. Prior art coated designs, on the other hand, have suffered from a lack of durability and the coating can undesirably reduce the permeability of open mesh structures.